Types of Burn Injuries

January 23, 2017January 18, 2017

Over the years, we've helped several clients that have suffered from horrific burns - either in their homes, their apartments or at work. The American Burn Association estimates approximately 486,000 people a year sustain burn injuries that require medical treatment. Each year, 40,000 people require hospitalization due to a variety of burn injuries - 30,000 of which are admitted to burn centers.

In Georgia, we have two highly acclaimed burn treatment centers right here in Georgia:

Grady Burn Center in Atlanta. This facility is staffed by Emory Surgeons and Grady nurses. It is one of the largest in the country and the only burn center in Georgia backed by a level one trauma center.

J.M. Still Burn Center in Augusta. This facility has 70 beds and admits more than 3,000 patients annually throughout the Southeast.

The types of burn injury cases we handle are:

Thermal Burns

These are the most traditional types of burns. These injuries can be caused by:

flames

hot metals

steam

scalding liquids.

Electrical Burns

These are injuries that occur from contact with a strong electrical current. There are 3 types of electrical burn injuries we typically see:

True Electrical burns: These result from direct contact with an electrical source. The current will flow through the body and will exit - typically to the ground. These burns will usually have an entry and an exit point burn.

Arc burns: These happen when a current jumps from its source to the ground. No contact is required as the electricity essentially passes through the air.

Thermal burns: These injuries occur when the arc of electricity or a spark ignites a person's clothing or hair.

Chemical Burns

These occur from contact or exposure to abrasive chemicals, such as a strong acid.

Radiation Burns

Injuries are the result of exposure to some form of radiation or ultraviolet rays.